


I Read About The Afterlife But I've Never Really Lived

by ACatwithManyFandoms



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Comic)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23210035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACatwithManyFandoms/pseuds/ACatwithManyFandoms
Summary: The story of Cherri Cola
Relationships: Agent Cherri Cola & Dr. Death Defying (Danger Days), Agent Cherri Cola & Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Agent Cherri Cola & Show Pony (Danger Days)
Kudos: 6





	I Read About The Afterlife But I've Never Really Lived

**Author's Note:**

> boy this is late but I just remember to post it

The cold desert night sky was covered in a blanket of stars. The fire was his only company, the others had all gone. He wasn’t sure where, but he knew they wouldn’t be coming home. Alone again, he was used to that.

-

Nathan had always been curious, and his dad always said curiosity killed the cat. Nathan had cats, he had two. Sarah and Smiley, a calico and a tabby, his best friends.

They were his best friends and currently his only company. He was lost, he had no clue where his dad was. He left right before the bomb dropped. Nathan was 11. He lived in zone 7 in a suburban neighborhood with some neutrals. He had been 9 when the apocalypse happened. His dad and his military friends decided to restart outside of Battery City.

Now what was left of their settlement was a pile of burning rubble. Terrified, he ran out into the desert. That was the only rule of the settlement, don’t go alone unless it was Better Living, if it was Better Living the only way to save yourself was to run. He wasn’t alone, he had his cats. 

Nathan wasn’t stupid, his dad taght him how to take care of himself. He knew who to make a fire, what channels were killjoy channels, and most importantly, if Better Living came, find the killjoys.

-

##  Two Years Later…

Nathan was hiding behind barrels of water on the outskirts of Battery City. He just needed food and the city was his only hope, now, his chances of escaping were slim to none.

He could hear footsteps pounding in his ears, somebody was coming. His breathing sped up, he wasn’t going to make it out alive, or worse, become a soulless monster.

13 years old and he was about to be caught and made into a Draculoid. The footsteps grew closer, he felt goosebumps on his arms, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He tried to push himself a little more out of view. He bumped the barrel creating a dull  _ thud _ .

“There’s something over there,” A deep voice with a desert accent growled, the footsteps stopped. Killjoys, that wasn’t a BLI’s operatives voice, it wasn’t cheery and fake.

He squeezed his eyes shut, not all ‘joys were nice. The footsteps started again, closer and closer, finally, “It’s a kid…” His eyes snapped open, he stared up at a man in his mid to late twenties. He had dark hair and a beard, piercing eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. “Hey kid, what’s your name?”

“N- Nathan…” He stuttered. “Wh- who are you?”

“Call me Dr. Death Defying, this is Comeback Kid.” He pointed over his shoulder to a person in all denim.

“Hey sweetheart,” They waved. “They/Them please.” They looked about 17 years old.

Nathan waved back shyly. “Are you all alone?” Dr. Death asked.

“Y- yeah.” 

“Do you wanna come with us, we can get you out of the city.” He considered their offer. These people seemed nice, they clearly had supplies, he had only gained two cans of soda and a small can of raisins.

“Okay, w- where're you going?”

“The desert, you’re from the desert, right?” Comeback Kid said.

“Yeah.” He whispered.

“Then let’s go home.” Dr. Death smiled.

-

#  Six Months Later…

“Pepsi Cola, eh?” Comeback laughed. “Or are you Coca Cola?” He presented themwith his little tin of bottle caps he’d collected and a new killjoy identity.

“Cherry Cola? I like it.” Doc smiled.

“Cherry with an I. C-H-E-R-R-I.” Former Nathan grinned.

“Good to know our spelling lessons are paying off.” Stereo Teller, a girl around 15 and one of Dr. D and Comeback’s friends scoffed.

Comeback, Stereo, and Dr. D smiled proudly behind the camera as they snapped a picture of him in his new outfit with an old polaroid camera. “Growing up so fast, aren’t cha?” Stereo laughed, ruffling his hair, a streak of which he had recently dyed sky blue to remind him of the desert sky if he was ever captured.

He still had his cat. He wasn’t sure what happened to Sarah, but Smiley was still following him around. Comeback had started referring to him as “Cola Cat” because of it’s little bottle cap collar. Coincidentally, it was one of the factors he considered in picking his name.

His little family was perfect in that moment, saved in a polaroid in that same little tin.

-

#  Two Years Later…

Cherri Cola was driving in his beat up pickup truck with his cat, Smiley Jr, towards the little mobile home. He was exhausted after a day at the market. Dr. Death Defying and the others sent him grocery shopping. Instead of the welcoming sight of the tiny garden Stereo managed to keep living, he was greeted by a smoldering pile of rubble.

A wave of terror washed over him, it was the same sight from almost five years ago.

Cola jumped out of his truck and raced towards the mess. “DOC! STEREO! COMEBACK!” He screamed. His home, destroyed once again. 

“DOC!” He shrieked again, searching for some sign of life. There, where the living room should’ve been, he spotted him unconscious

Stereo Teller and Comeback Kid were still nowhere to be seen. He waited until dark, doing his best trying to care for Dr. D. He wasn’t entirely sure that Comeback and Stereo were coming. 

To Cherri’s relief, they arrived during the night. The self appointed medic, Stereo wasn’t even sure how to take care of Doc. It was a long, silent drive to the hospital in zone three.

-

It turned out that the bomb that hit his family’s settlement five years ago was just a test run, the one that hit the mobile home was a much less powerful, another trail. The worst was yet to come.

The entire zone 6-7 border and probably the rest of zone 7 had been decimated. radiation and haze hung over the area for months.

Dr. Death wasn’t going to get better, the doctors said something about irreversible damage. He would be confined to a wheelchair, which resulted in a few weeks of barely any to no activity from Doc.

During that terrible time, Cherri Cola moved on from his little family. He was another liability and despite what happened was entirely BLI’s fault, Cherri blamed himself. “Maybe,” He’d argue with Comeback and Stereo, “Maybe if I got home soon enough, I could’ve saved him.”

#  One Year Later…

17 and living alone in the garage of what was once a suburban home. He had minimal resources, only what he really needed so if he had to leave, he could do so quickly.

He never spoke unless it was trading, cats still hung around him, but he warned them, “I’m like wind in the desert, calm and cool until I whip up a dust storm. Then I’m all alone again.” 

Poet, that’s what everybody called him. Everybody being Dr. D if he radioed, the vendors when he traded, and of course Show Pony, a glittery tumbleweed that could never took their skates off.

Show Pony was stubborn and insisted that he would eventually die without anybody if he kept up his habits. Cola didn’t show it then, but the idea of just being forgotten was terrifying. Of course it never occurred to him that Pony wouldn’t forget him if he died. Pony never forgot a name. 

Finally, after a day of sitting in a lawn chair outside of his garage doing nothing with his spare time. Show Pony showed up. They dropped a box in his lap, startling him from his nap.

“Box of water bottles, take it to Tommy’s.” They said flatly.

“What the hell?” He glared at them. 

“Delivery boy, getcha out of the house and you’ll earn some carbons.” They smirked.

“Why me? I’m fine right here.” He had to admit, sleeping for hours in his free time wasn’t exactly time well spent.

“Tommy Chow Mein no longer takes my deliveries after I put glitter in his cash register, so now you can!”

“Put glitter in his register?” He asked skeptically.

“Well I won’t tell you not too, but no! The deliveries!” They laughed.

“Fine.” It’d be good to get out. He told himself. “But you’re a pain in my ass.” Cola rolled his eyes. 

Pony was now sitting on the hood of his truck kicking their feet back and forth. “Cher,” They pronounced it  _ Share _ “I think your problem is that you don’t know how to be close to people.” Cherri went silent, he looked away from Pony and went to get his keys.

“What? Touchy subject?” They slid down and skated over to him, they were at least two inches taller than him on their skates. He guessed they were around his height without though.

“Forget it, do you wanna ride somewhere?” He asked, trying to stay polite.

“Hey, Cher-” They hummed a little quieter. 

“Cherri! _Chair_ not _share_!” He snapped.

“Ok, I understand.  _ Cher _ do you wanna go cryptid hunting?” They smiled.

“The hell?” Cola glared at them.

The sun was starting to dip into the horizon. “Let’s go.” They pulled him over to his truck.

“Where? Pon’ don’t drag me around!”

“Tommy Chow Mein’s! C’mon!” They shouted.

“That’s not cryptid hunting?”

“Afterwards!” They smiled.

-

#  Two Years Later…

He regularly did jobs for Tommy Chow Mein, he wasn’t exactly wonderful, but it kept him busy. “What’s up with the signs?” Cherri asked. Tommy was putting signs on wooden stakes in front of his shop that read, “ _No (strange symbol) or (another strange symbol)_ ”

“No Fun Ghoul and no Newsagogo, I don’t want the gremlins on my property.” Tommy said.

“Who?”

“The Ghoul is part of a new gang, the fabulous idiots. And News is just a pain in my ass.” He scoffed. “Shouldn’t you know this? Isn’t that what radio people are supposed to do?”

“Know everybody?”

“At least know them. They’re gaining a following.”

“Well I’ll ask Doc about ‘em.”

-

Cola didn’t need to ask about them, he met them at the market only a few hours later. “‘Scuse me, pardon me.” He shoved through the crowd towards a vendor selling batteries.

“Watch it!” Somebody snarled from behind him, that wasn’t good.

“Ghoul, he said ‘excuse me’, he’s got more manners than you have brain cells.” Somebody else laughed.

He turned to face who must’ve been Fun Ghoul, and somebody who was probably not Newsagogo. “Are you Fun Ghoul?”

“Who wants to know?” The shorter one snapped. Friendly.

“Him.” The tall one, he’s seen this kid before. He was decent at racing. The short one punched him.

“Oh, I’m a friend of Tommy Chow Mein’s. He banned you from his shop.” Cherri said, turning away.

“Ghoul! What the hell did you do!” The taller one smacked Ghoul.

The tall one grabbed his shoulder before he could make his way back through the crowd. “Sorry about the rat, I’m Kobra Kid, you already know Fun Ghoul. Do I know you? I feel like I’ve heard your voice before.”

Cherri stumbled over his words. “I- I’m on the radio, no- well yes. I’m on a night, after the music.”

Kobra’s eyes lit up. “You do the poetry segment! I love that. You’re Cherri Cola!”

“Wait you listen to that shit?” Ghoul snickered. Kobra kicked Ghoul.

“Wait, you know my name? You listen to it?” Cola said dumbfounded. 

“Yes, every night.” Kobra nodded. 

“Um, I don’t know what to say, thank you, I guess.” Cherri laughed. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d love to uh, get a beer sometime.” The day just kept getting weirder.

“Sure! Uh, this is my radio channel, or you can just drop by Tommy’s or Dr. D’s.” He smiled, scribbling down the channel. He made a new friend.

-

Cherri Cola lived what he liked to call a "simple" life. He managed to make friends and enemies, but as long as he was still alive, that was all that mattered. Cherri didn't have a permanent family, but his friends, Show Pony, Kobra Kid, Dr. D, and Tommy Chow Mein, were much better than some families he knew. Kobra's crew was sleeping around him; they were set to run into Battery City tomorrow, to rescue a little girl they found alone in the desert. These killjoys were his family for now, tomorrow who knows. All he knew for sure was that the Witch would protect them tomorrow.  



End file.
